Road Safety Week 2018 – Bike Smart

Statistics show that more than one third of people killed or seriously injured on the UK roads are those travelling on bicycles. Travelling by bike on any road holds its risks and in cities, road safety is particularly crucial. That is why this year’s Road Safety Week’s theme is ‘Bike Smart.’ Road Safety Week, is the UK’s biggest road safety event and it is coordinated each year by the road safety charity, Brake. It runs from 19 to 25 November 2018.

In the commercial vehicles industry , deaths or injuries to cyclists on the road are of always of real concern and that’s why it’s important that operators and drivers recognise the decisions they make every day can save lives. Driving safely, carrying out walk around checks and maintaining vehicles properly are just a few of the duties operators routinely perform which keep road users safe.

Operator licensing is the benchmark for safe operations. By continually meeting their licence promises, operators maintain and promote road safety. We are all likely to become vulnerable road users at one time or another throughout our lives and we owe it to everyone to keep each other safe. To aid this, the Department for Transport has just published its response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy safety review call for evidence, aimed at improving road safety for vulnerable road users including cyclists and pedestrians. We will report on this in due course.

So, the next time you are carrying out your daily walk around check, remember, you could be saving someone’s life.

If you would like further information on your obligations as an operator , please contact a member of our regulatory team on 01254 828300.